About Multi-Tasking

[dduran@linux]

I just want to know what are your expectations of the multi-tasking feature of the OS6?

If you have used a PPC which has multi-tasking, this feature is useless because you can only acess one application at a time. The only reason that PPC needs it is that some of thier apps take longer to load and it does not save the last open "desktop" of the app.

It makes everthing SLOWER (i use to download an app killer just to fix this). It has no clear advantage, (there are hacks available for Palm) just want to know what you ppl think

[rmrfchik]

Multitasking allows to have multiple network connection in several programs (I would like to initiate mail download, start irc and be able to switch to other program (Novii remote or any other program) in the same time).

[dduran@linux]

a ok, so its only effective if your in a network and your accessing it.. good point.. but i feel that this was already possible with hacks or am i wrong? (developers?)

[wakatam]

Switching between running programs with OS5 takes a few seconds if the other prorgram isn't running. And this is quite frustrating if i'm browsing the net with WebPro to check references, while working in Docs2Go.

Multi-Tasking would just be a nice little add-on really, not a necessity.

[rmrfchik]

Originally posted by dduran@linux
a ok, so its only effective if your in a network and your accessing it.. good point.. but i feel that this was already possible with hacks or am i wrong? (developers?)
you're wrong. Hack don't allow you to switch between applications. All they can do is to run hacks themself at top of running applicaion, i.e. there is a hack to view AddressBook and so on, but there are no any hacks to switch to other application while other still running.
Indeed, if I do chat in the upIRC and got some url, I if I want to see this url I must leave upIRC, open the WebPro with the url. It's annoy me.

[bobbd]

Multi-tasking done right would obviate the need for some hacks and DAs. Do you recall what the original Mac was like? When you were in one app, you couldn't get to another app without closing down. So people created Desk Accessories to do things like lookups, calculators, etc. The PalmOS is nicer because well-behaved applications automatically save their state. However, if you have a text entry box open and you need something from another application, you usually can't get it without either closing the text box or having it closed.

So we now have hacks and DAs that let us pop up pick lists, enter a ToDo even though we're inside the datebook, and so on.

Multi-tasking could let us get to another application without closing down the current one. However, this would require that each application have an actual exit or terminate command. And most Palm apps don't have this now because they don't need it.

Of course in addition, multi-tasking lets you do things in the background. So you might recalculate a large spreadsheet while you're writing a note. I don't know that you do this sort of thing often on a handheld.

The PocketPC issue is that it leaves apps running all the time. So after a while you have lots of apps running, using up your resources. I suppose they didn't want people to have to worry about applications like you do in Windows.

So multi-tasking may have advantages but it may also complicate things.

Personally, I used a Mac and was fine with it. I use Windows and I'm fine with that. And I use PalmOS 5 and I'm fine with that. It depends what you need to do. Multi-tasking is not a panacea or holy grail. I'm not necessarily looking forward to it at all.

Just my .02 worth of course.

Bob

[SoS]

FWIW I agree with bob...i get by with OS5 as it is plus a few hacks etc. I think I am looking forward to OS6 because I hope (hopefully not in vain) that the MT implementation will be done well and wont just be a pain in the.....you know. Somehow though, I have a bad feeling that it wont be the holy grail that many think its is and the 'zen of palm' may be dead forever...long live ZOP..

:confused: